Method for automatic electromagnetic wet separation



March 28, 1933.` H. B. ARDEN 1902,937

METHOD FUR AUTOMATIC ELECTROMAGNETIQ WET SEPARATION original Fild om.y 11,'1928 4 sheets-sheet i Z7), V l 15'#L v 25 I /35 March 2s, 1933. H; B. 'ARDEN "1.902,937.

METHOD FOR AUTOMATICvELECTROMAGNETIC WET SEPARATION Originl Filed Oct. l1, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 lH. B.- ARDEN Mrch 28, 1933.

METHOD FOR UTOMATIGl 'ELECTROMAGNETIC WET SEPARATION Original Filed Ocjr.r 11, 1928A 4 Sheets-Sheet March 28, 1933. H. B. ARDEN v- 1,902,937

METHOD FOR AU'IIOIATIC ELECTROMAGNETIC WET SEPARATIONk AOriginal Filed Oct 11. '1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Mn. ze, 1933 UNITED STATES HARRY B. ARDEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PATENT'. oI-"rlcl-z` METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC ELECTROMAGNETIC WET SEPARATION Application iled October 11, A1928, Serial No. 311,869. Renewed February 4, 1932.

The object of my invention is to provide a method which may be used to separate the magnetic from the non-magnetic matter carried with a downwardl flowing stream of water. The magnetic 4su stance may be in finely crushed ore, the magnetite ofblack sand deposits, or any other' finely divided ma etic substance which can be carrie wit in a stream of Water. This and other objects are accomplished by my invention, some embodiments of which are hereinafter more particularly set forth.

For amore detailed description of my 1nvention, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of one embodlment of my invention.

Figure 2-is a similar view with the feed hop er and Stream guides removed.

Flgure 3 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view ofv 25 a portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a front elevation of a multiple apparatus to be used for a double separation.

Figure 6 shows the front vplate and ore ducts of a modification of the apparatus shown in Figure 1, which is to be used to segregate the strongly from the weakly magnetic substances.

Figure 7 shows a further modification wherein but one feed hopper is used with one long stream guide.

Figure 8 shows a front view of the hopper and stream guide shown in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a sectional view, taken o n the line 9-9 of Figure 8.

Figures 10 to 14 inclusive show details of my improved hopper and stream guide, Figure 11 being a sectional view,l taken on the line 11-11 of Figure v10; Figure 12 is a top plan view of a hopper and Figures 13 and 14 are bottom views of stream guides, Figure 14 differing from Figure 13 only in having side walls converging slightly, as shown.

Figure 15 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical connections and circuits.

Throughout the various views of the drawd trolle ings, similar reference characters designate similar parts. l

My improved method employs a separating apparatus 11 which is provided with a mixture 17 of water and magnetic ore bearing material, iiuid enough to iow freely, which is. supplied through the pipes 12 and is conin quantity bythe valves 13, 'passing therefrom through outlets 14 into thev top hoppers 15 and through narrow passages 19 at the bottom of the hoppers, which passages y join the stream guides 16, which guide the stream down their inner surfaces and into the next lower hoppers 15.

The fluid mixture of ore and water from the outlets 14 into the top hoppers 15 should be "in suiiicient quantity to fill the hoppers so that an overflow will occur at the lips 15a into the overiow tubes 18 attached to the front of each hopper and stream guide, the surplus water going into the next lower hopper to compensate for magnetic substances withdrawn from the stream. This overflow should take place successively from upper` to lower hoppers, thus maintaming an even pressure throu h pass-ages 19, thus assuringa smooth, unbro en downward gliding stream of ore and water within the stream guides 16.

The passages 19 terminate and join with the stream guides 16 which are in the form of shallow troughs having front walls 20 and sides 21, the open backs being toward the magnetic source. stream 20 are mclined slightly from the vertical, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the object being to cause the falling stream of ore and water to impinge and flow ina smooth stream within the confines of the stream guides 16.

The walls of the hoppers 15 have hooks 15b, or other means provided for attaching them to the ore troughs 22, which are fixed to the front of shield plates 23 which are attached in vertical position to the frames 24 of the apparatus. These ore ducts each have a sloping floor sufiiciently inclined to be self clearing when a vstream passes over it. Back of the plate 23 are a series of electromagnets designated generically by the character 25 and specifically according to the sysroo . guide 16, the hoppers andthe overiow tubes 18, as well as the pipes 12, valves 1 3 and` outlets 14 and all other parts, should be made of non-magnetic materlal, the only magnetic material that is employed in the apparatus `being that of the cores'26 of the magnets'25.

Wash water 27 is supplied through suit'- able perforated pipes 28 from vertical pipes 29 governed by a valve 30 and one of these perforated pipes 28 is preferably located, as indicated in Figure 4, just above Ythe level of the adjacent magnet 25, so that when the magnet is not energized the abundant flow of Water will wash the'ore, which is free, or

substantially free of silica or other .impurities, into the ore duct 22, from whence it is drainedathrough drain pipes 31 into a suitable receptacle 32, where it is received and held ready for further treatment.

The magnets 25 are divided into four systems in the embodiment shown, and each sysrtem is numbered 1 to 4 inclusive, as above stated, and supplied by electricity from any suitable source, as from a direct current generator 33 and this generator has one pole 34 connected to a wire 35 that runs to the lead v in wires 36- of the respective magnets and the other pole 37 of this generator 33 is connected bya wire 38 to brushes 39 which bear on a commutator-40 which has its bars arranged in four series so that every fourth bar is connected to the first system, the next series has everyv fourth bar connected in the second system, the third series has every fourth bar connected and in a similar manner, vthe fourth series has every fourth bar connected, and so, in the'embodimentshown, the eommutator has segments in multi les of four all connected as indicated. The rst systemA is connected to the properpart of the commutator by a wire 41 which runsvto a lead in wire of the magnet 1. In a similar` manner, the second'series has'a wire 42 which runs to the lead in wireof the magnet 2 and similarly the third system has a lead in wire 43 and the fourth system a lead in wire 44. The commutator is run in such a way that the'magnets are properly energized begin-4 ning with 1,-2 and 3, then 2, 3. and 4, then 3, 4 and 1, then 4, 1 and 2, so that three are always energized` and one-is deenergized. The

time of energizing each magnet will vary according to the flow and nature of the ore being treated and under the usual conditions of service the time each magnet will be energized will be substantially three-quarters of a second and it will be deenergized for onequarter of a second. .As long as each magnet is energized it will `held the ore adjacent le4 thereto on the plate 23 and close to its pieces 26 and the instant it is deenergized the abundant stream of water 27 will cause it to fall into the ore duct 22, as above stated. The advantage of having the magnets function in the order above described, is

that at all timesthe material must ass through the magnetic {ield'of 'an energized magnet and nothing will pass free thereof. If the magnets were energized inthe opposite way, it might be that at times ore between systems 1 and 2 would pass free of all magnetism during the instant that the first system is deenergized and thereby permit loss of values. Y l v The lowest overflow tube 18, as well as the lowest stream guide 16,dr'ain into the outlet pipe 45 which carries away the tailings from the apparatus and also the excess water.

In View of the foregoing, the operation of this embodiment of my invention will be readilyunderstood. Assuming that a ow of water is maintained through the pipes 29 and a iow of water and sand bearing ore throughthe pipes 12 and a suitable electric current passes through the magnets, as above 'set forth, lthe action is as follows. rlhe hoppers 15 fill rapidly and immediately the mouths of the outlets 14 are submerged and an overflow into and through the overflow tubes 18 takes place. As the magnets 25 are successively energized, the ferrous or other magnetic material accumulates on the front ofthe plate 23 while non-magnetic material is carried into the next lower hopper 15 until the end of the apparatus is reached. The magnetic ore is released the instant the magnet is deenergized and is` washed down by the stream 27 into the ore duct 22 from whence it is passed to the drain 31, as above set forth. If some of the magnetic material gets by the first magnet 25, it will be caught by one of the lower magnets in the manner just described, so that after the material has passed the last magnet its separation is practically complete under normal conditions. To further concentrate the separated material, the apparatus described below 1s employed.

v In Figure 5 is shown a modification wherein there are two sets of hoppers 15 and stream guides. 16 asA rwell as overliow tubes 18 Ill) vmounted side by side, all functioning precisely as above described, the waste water and gangue escaping by drain pipes 45, as above set forth. The ore which is caught in the upper ore ducts 22 is passed into a suitable tank 46 provided with agitating jets through nozzles 47 andthe excess water is drained. 'from the tank 46 by means of a suitable drain 48 which runs -to a pipe 45. From the .bot-

auv

tom of the tank 48, pi 12irun precisely as above described, an the ore is further concentrated by this lower apparatus, precisely as shown in Figure 1.

In Figure 6' the ore and water pipes are omitted as well as the troughs 16V and atthe strongly magnetic Ymaterial from the stream precisely in the manner above indicated, and this is drained through the ipe 31 into a suitable receptacle 32. The t ree lower magnets associated with the three ylower ore ducts 22 have a much stronger magneticiiux, so as to recover the weaker magnetic material which otherwise would escape, and this drains into a receptacle 49. This embodiment of my invention is useful where it `is desired to segregate weakly magnetic material carrying values other than that of iron.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Figures 7 to 9 inclusive one long stream guide drains the hopper 15 and instead of one plate 23 a series of short plates 51 are employed, each one overlapping the lower, as indicated, and these plates and the stream guide 50 converge towards the bottom of each 'plate by reason of the siepe o the stream guide 50, so that the stream will follow an inclined surface and have a smooth, swift descent through the successive magnetic fields of the magnets. At the bottom the water and sand .drain out through a pipe 45 and the ore asses with some water through another pipe 52. 4

The structure of Figure 14 shows convergingside walls which more eiectively confine the stream than the straight walls of Figure 13. The advantage is slight but substantial as all tendency of the stream to climb the4 side walls is thereby eliminated.

While I have shown and described` some embodiments of my invention, it is obvious that it is not restricted thereto, but that it. is broad enough to cover all methods that come within the scope of the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, `what I claim is:

1. The method of automatic, electro-magnetic wet sepa-ration which consists in passing downwardly a substantially vertical, smoothilowing stream of magneticore and water through an intermittent magnetic field which separates the magnetic from the'non-magnetic material carried by the stream.

2. The method of automatic, electro-magnetic wet separation which consists in passing downwardly a substantially vertical, smoothiowing and controlled stream of ma ore and water through' intermittent magnetic fieldsI which separates the ma etic from the non-magnetic material carrie by the stream.

3. The method of automatic,.electromag netic wet separation which consists in passing downwardly a substantially vertical, smoot flowing stream of magnetic ore and water through an intermittent magnetic field ,which separates the magnetic from the non-mag neticmaterial carried by the stream and `holds the magnetic material momentarily and lthen washing down such held material immediately upon therelease of the magnetism.

4. The method of automatic, electro-magnetic wet separation which consists in passing downwardly a substantially vertical, smoothflowing stream of magnetic ore and water through successive, intermittent magnetic fields, which operate successively from the bottom up and which separates the magneticl from the non-magnetic material carried by the stream.

5. The method of automatic, electro-magnetic wet separation which consists in passing downwardly a substantially vertical, smoothowing stream of magnetic ore andwater, through two series of intermittent magnetic fields, of different intensities, the first being the weaker, whereby stronger and weaker magnetic oresv may be separated. i

6. The method of automatic, electro-magnetic wet separation which consists in passing w downwardly a substantially vertical, smoothfiowing stream of magnetic ore and water through intermittent magnetic fields which partially separate the magneticfrom the nonmagnetic material carried by the stream, and thereafter passing, in the same way, this magnetic constituentthrough a second series of intermittent magnetic fields.

In `testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day. of October, 1928.

HARRY B. ARDEN.

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